carry virtually any gun they pleased. >> why do we have to limit or restrict the sale of so-called assault rifle or semiautomatic rifles. >> reporter: today's debate on the streets of falls church was also heard in the washington studios of the major television networks where virginia senator mark warner, a recently convert to the cause of sensitive gun control made his case on "face the nation." >> simply saying existing gun laws are enough, status quo didn't pass as a father. >> reporter: while others say the answer is not gun control but armed police officers in the school. >> it's the one thing that will keep people safe and the nra will try to do that. >> reporter: they continue to be met with fierce opposition. new york senator charms schumer today -- charles schumer today

said trying to prevent shootings in schools without talking about guns is like talking about lung cancer without talking about cigarettes. >> the company which calls itself the world's largest arm supplier said it sold three and a half years worth of ammunition magazines in just three days. the ar15 is the nation's most popular semiautomatic rifle similar to the models used in the newtown shootings. with time running out to avoid the fiscal cliff, democrats and republicans have left the capital for home. for the majority of the country, that means we are going over that cliff. president obama is in hawaii for christmas with his family. before he left he urged congress to adopt a stopgap measure to prevent taxes from rising on people who make less than 250,000 a year. he also asked for a plan to keep providing benefits to unemployed workers. house speaker john boehner is home in cincinnati. he failed to get members of his own party to support his plan b

proposal for ending the crisis. speaker boehner says the stalemate and the failure of plan b is the democrats' fault. >> the president -- what the. has offered so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problem and begin to address our nation's crippling debt. instead he wants more spending and more tax hikes that will hurt our economy. and he refuses to challenges the members of his party to deal honesty with the entitlement reform and the big issues facing our nation. that's why we find ourselves here today. >> the president is scheduled to return to washington wednesday. there's no word if any new talks are planned. even if we go over the cliff, workers won't feel all of the tax increaseness their january paychecks. the american payroll association says it's already too late for employers to accurately with hold income taxes from january paychecks. however, workers will immediately feel the squeeze of a 2% social security payroll

tax. 9news is tracking the discussions on capitol hill concerning the fiscal cliff. we've broken our newsroom into four groups. one to monitor the potential impact on the local economy. a second to prepare you for what could happen to you and your family. a third will help you take action and the fourth will hold lawmakers accountable. you can get alerts sent straight to your phone about all our fiscal cliff notes by texting the cliff to 25543. senator michael crapo of ied low has been arrested -- idaho has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence. he was pulled over sunday morning for running a red light in virginia. he failed a field sobriety test. the senator issued a statement saying he was deeply sorry and would deal with whatever penalty comes his way. he's due in court january 4. former president george h.w. bush may not be home in time for christmas. doctors at a houston hospital say the 41st president needs to build up his energy before he

can be released. the 88-year-old bush was hospitalized november 23 for a bronchitis-related cough. president obama was among the more than 1,000 people attending a memorial service for the late hawaii senator daniel inouye. the army veteran and war hero died of respiratory complications last monday. hawaii's governor and military leaders also attended. inouye was 88 years old. he was the second longest serving senator in u.s. history. a loudoun county police dog missing since last friday has been found. bronco, the german shepherd, ran away while on a visit to the groomer. the sheriff's deputy put out an alert and several people called in to say they spotted him. he was found on ivan dale road in the county and is said to be okay. the dash to get those last- minute gifts is on but another place that's been getting a lot of business is the grocery store. people are not only interested in gathering around the christmas tree but also around the christmas dinner table. surae chinn reports on the

quest for preparing the perfect holiday dinner. >> a little busy here today. >> we're glad it's not insane. we just want to begin and go home. >> reporter: there's a lot to do before christmas and many to cook for. >> we have eight total and we're cooking for three vegetarians. >> we have seven this year. >> i'm beginning to panic a little bit but i'm okay. as long as the redskins win today, we'll be good. >> reporter: barbara has her menu. >> we're preparing a rack of lamb. i'm doing a tenderloin. >> we're preparing ham and mashed potatoes and all the traditional christmas dinners. >> and gravy. >> lamb and wild rice and salad and i'm going to make a vegetable casserole. >> reporter: don't forget the hunt for the perfect ham. >> spiral. >> reporter: what makes the perfect ham for dinner? >> on the plate. >> reporter: roll lad is a man

ho -- roland is a man who has been cutting meat for decades. >> one that doesn't have too much water to is, spiral sliced. saves a lot of work. >> reporter: it's not all about the ham this year. >> i'm looking for a turkey substitute. >> reporter: the name of the game? divide and conquer. >> my husband is doing the cooking. i'm doing the shopping. we've split the chores. >> reporter: the feast has to be good, right? because as she wished, the redskins won. >> it will go. it will work. dinner is going to be great. >> reporter: in bethesda, surae chinn, 9news. dozens of homeless people in our region received a gourmet breakfast on sunday. they also received warm winter coats, bags of socks, gloves and other cold weather necessities. the event took place at the fourth street adventist day northwest. the church would hand out gloves, toiletries to homeless men but that grew into a bigger

holiday project for parrishers. as you heard, the redskins won. that wonthat means they're one win away from being nfc division champs. robert griffin iii threw two touchdown passes and finished with 198 years -- 198 yards in his first game back from an injury. the redskins held on to beat the eagles 27-20 sunday for their sixth straight win. if the skins win next sunday against dallas, they'll win the division for the first time since 1999. our time is 4:37. the stock market is just days away from ending another positive year. but the fiscal cliff could send the economy into a tailspin. it appears to already be affecting consumer spending and some of the country's most beloved snacks could soon return to store shelves. 9news returns in two minutes.

4:40 on this monday morning. christmas eve. quiet right now. really no real problems i think till we get more toward late this afternoon into when rain may develop mixed in with sleet and snow. the roads staying mainly wet with high temperatures in the low 40s. a very active weather week coming up. i'll have your seven-day forecast in about five minutes. right now over to liz with a look at timesaver traffic. good morning. the commute very much the same as the weather apparently. 270 montrose all quiet, cleared out. might see shopping traffic as the day goes on with the last- minute shoppers. otherwise so far so good. on the virginia ride, 395 at duke street, everything moves right along there. no problems on 95 coming in towards the mixing bowl either. that's a look at your timesaver traffic. now back to andrea. >> tank you, liz. time for the -- thank you,

liz. time for the first your money segment ever the morning. jessica doyle is on assignment. the stock market heads into the final trading week of the year. with gritd lock in budget -- gridlock in washington over a budget, we inch closer to the fiscal cliff. the dow down 1 two points -- 120 points. the s&p down 13 and a half points. the stock market is on track for its fourth straight year of games. the dow sup overall nearly 8%. the nasdaq has rallied more than 15% so far this year. the market will be closed tomorrow for the christmas holiday. but there will still be plenty of economic reports to sift through this week, including the latest on home prices and sales. consumer confidence as well as jobless claims. washington's failure to agree on a budget is affecting americans's confidence about their finances. the university of michigan says its consumer sentiment index for december fell sharply from november's five-year high. more than one in four people surveyed cited concerns about

higher taxes. twinkies, wonder bread and devil dogs could soon return to store shelves but another company will be making them. bankrupt hostess brand says it's narrowing down the bids it received for its brands. it expects to sell off its snacks and bread to separate buyers. about 30 former hostess plants could also be sold along with the brands. a gift giving charity makes holiday wishes come true for children affected by superstorm sandy. we'll have more on that story plus your weather first when we return in two minutes.

good morning. welcome back to 9news now. it's 4:45. it's monday, christmas eve. a lot of people are asking that question will it be a white christmas. i'm not one of them. >> not here but a big chunk of the country is dealing with that. then wednesday if you're trying to get into ohio and west central pa, new york state, indiana, this storm is coming out of the oklahoma, texas panhandle, big snows up there. i'm looking at some models that have areas along i-70 in ohio a foot of snow on wednesday. >> where you have to go, hunker down at least till thursday. >> this will bring us mainly a rain event on wednesday and mainly a rain event as we head into the afternoon. some areas north and west, if you have wet snow flakes, sleet to mix in, don't be surprised but don't get too excited about

it because with temperatures mid- to upper 30s, that's just not cold enough for anything to stick on road surfaces. we do have some advisories i want to start off with. they're in the mountains. we have a winter weather advisory the purple colors on the east side of the divide for the most part. that's till noon for a little bit of sleet and possibly a little freezing rain mixing in. west of the divide some colder air gets trapped. that's a freezing rain advisory until 6:00 p.m. there are going to be pock kepts of freezing rain and that could -- pockets of freezing rain and that could produce a few areas that will be slick. turning cloudy and rainy this afternoon again with the wet flakes north and west. temperatures will top out in the low 40s. winds northeast to southeast only about 5 miles an hour. by 8:00 still rain and that wet snow north and west. that should be coming to an end by midnight. we're watching the moisture this morning trying to get into the southwestern areas of virginia. extreme southwest virginia. so we have a while. if you need to ge out this

morning, any -- to go out this morning, any plans. a lot of it is down into tennessee and kentucky and it all has to move in our direction. that's going to take a while. outside on our michael & son weather camera, we have a temperature of 32 but no wind. the windchill is 32. some of our colder suburbs are down in the middle 20s this morning but that's about the worst of it. our pressure is 30.03 and that is going to fall. a very active pattern across the country. we have storminess out on the west coast once again. more heavy snows in the mountains of california, in the northern rockies, the pacific northwest. it has been a great month for skiers in the western u.s. another system that we're watching, too, see the jet stream here and this band of clouds across texas? that's the jet stream. as it comes across the deep south today, it's going to be a dangerous situation, especially into tomorrow when there could be a severe weather threat with them with the developing storm that will move into the ohio valley with heavy snow. for us we're watching the

moisture coming through nashville. the clouds increase. by noon could be enough cold air, parts of the shenandoah valley into the mountains that we'll have some wet snow mixing in. in fact, north and west of town and i think this may be overdoing the snow line, i don't think it will be this far south, north and west of town there will be wet snow mixing in till about 8:00. then we start to dry out. everything pulls away. overnight partly cloudy with patchy fog developing. maybe a slick spot with some temperatures close to freezing. then christmas day looks decent with partly sunny conditions at least. highs well up in the 40s before the next system starts to bring snow to the region north and west of us on wednesday. i want to -- when i say north and west, pennsylvania, ohio, perhaps part of western maryland. afternoon rain, wintry mix developing, chilly, 43. tonight in the 30s which we will quiet down. some areas of fog. a dry tuesday, 48. but then rain and wind on wednesday, 46. could be a little wintry mix in the morning west of town.

by thursday 45, windy. friday looks okay. over the weekend more rain saturday. snow saturday night into sunday morning and a blustery sunday for the skins-dulles game at fed ex. 4:49. let's check in with liz with timesaver traffic. indeed it is very quiet out christmas eve commute so far. not a lot of folks on the roads. you might encounter extra truck traffic because folks are still delivering gifts and packages around the area. here is 95 and the fairfax county parkway. going to find the volume is nice and light. as we're looking at this, this reminds me we're seeing metro will run regular weekly service. let's move around to the other camera. let's take a look at the mixing bowl just points north of 95 and the fair fax county parkway. looks like it's again just moderate to light pace if anything.

plenty of space between cars so you can take your time and arrive safely. that's your latest look of timesaver traffic. montgomery county is the latest jurisdiction vying to become the new home of the f.b.i. the general services administration is searching for a new location for the headquarters. the j. edgar hoover building on pennsylvania avenue is deteriorating and no longer suits the agency's needs. they have proposed swapping the building for a new site in the metropolitan area. at 4:50, turning our attention to this morning's health news, new research shows excessive protein in the brain may be linked to autistic like behavior, including impaired communication and diminished social interaction. doctors at the university of california san francisco believe the finding could eventually lead to drug therapy which could treat autism spectrum disorders ucial known as aac -- usually known as aac.

kids with allergies have another challenge at lunch time. almost a third of children with allergies are bullied at school and many parents don't realize their youngsters are being teased. researchers in belgium have a new strategy for fighting obesity. they're trying to better understand taste sensors in the stomach. the sensors respond to excess food intake. eight believed their malfunction contributes to obesity and diabetes. the goal is to pinpoint which sensors might be effective drug targets. a charity started after superstorm sandy is helping bring a little holiday cheer to a new york community which was one of the hardest hit. marlly hall was there when hundreds of kids received some early christmas gifts. >> reporter: a restaurant in howard beach, new york turned into a christmas wonderland for hundreds of kids still without a permanent home after superstorm sandy. >> there was food, soda, and

finally presents. >> reporter: sandy flooded 10- year-old m.b.t.a. through's basement destroying most of his toys. matthew's mom says the cost of rebuilding threatened to wipe out christmas. >> people who have donated the gifts have been awesome. >> reporter: joy created this gift giving charity after she helped a friend clean up from the storm. >> her son saw us throwing out his toys and was so emotional about it and was so upset not understanding what he would have done to have his toys thown out. >> reporter: secret santa allowed online donors to make sure the magic of christmas wasn't lost this year. >> the organization received enough donations to fulfill the wishes of 2000 of sandy's youngest victims. some of the kids got their gifts here at this christmas party. >> reporter: 10-year-old michael says christmas won't be the same now that his family lives in a small apartment. >> instead of racing downstairs, it's one floor. we can't have our normal

everyday thing. >> reporter: but parents saying secret santa is taking some of the disappointment away. >> we didn't expect special angels like n. aim he blown away how generous people have been. >> reporter: the charity will collect donations all year long to benefit kids in hard hit area. marley hall for cbs news, howard beach, new york. >> charity founders say they now plan to collect school supplies for children in the affected areas. 4:53. time for the question of the morning. it is every week 25% of us burn ourselves with this. is it a, our curling or flatiron, b, a slice of pizza or c, the stove? log on to the wusa9 facebook fan page and leave your response. we'll reveal the answer during our 6:00 hour. we'll be right back.

welcome back. 4:556789 your weather first this monday morning. nice and quiet now but it's going to get more active as we get into the afternoon with

some rain and a little bit of wet snow and sleet north and west of town as high temperatures climb into the low 40s. the winds pretty light, southeasterly at 5 to 10 miles an hour this afternoon. we'll be back with more about that seven-day forecast and another system by mid week in a few minutes. right now over to liz drayback who has timesaver traffic. a nice light christmas eve ride as we look at the beltway. it's almost completely empty of volume. that's pretty much what we're going to see for the rest of the morning. we'll have more for you coming at the top of the hour. >> thanks, liz. it's the end of an era in australia. the wiggles played their last concert together last night in sydney. the popular children's band sent 21 years on the road. it's -- its four members played for more than one million people worldwide each year. in 2013 three new wiggles will take the stage in a revamped children's band but some fans say the change will be tough. >> i think they'll be accepted but it won't be quite the same,

emily for us old-timers. >> change is always hard. i think it will be hard for people to i guess warm up to the new wiggles. >> the adultses will have more problems than the kids. there is some continuity. an then -- anthony page will remain with the new group. the hobbit an unexpected journal scores box office gold again. it brought in $36.7 million in ticket sales. tom cruise' film came in second with $15.5 million. and "this is 40" took third with $12 million. both nationally and locally events which have dampened the holiday spirits, many people are still looking for a way to enjoy the celebrations and their loved ones. the zoo lights exhibit at the national zoo are always filled with people looking to do just that. ken molestina has more.

>> reporter: here your senses are heightened by this winter wonderland all throughout. it's easy to get lost in the holiday show that lines the sidewalks and the exhibits at the smithsonian national zoo. >> it was nice. >> the music was wonderful. >> the light goes to the music. it's fantastic. >> reporter: the joy clearly felt by children and their parents. that's a good thing, especially when you consider the unfortunate events that have tainted this year's holiday season. the sandy hook massacre, gun control debates, talks of the fiscal cliff and recession, death in the middle east and an american nation divided along political lines are just some of the scars that will undoubtedly leave their mark on 2012. but here among the holiday cheer, at least for a short while, all is forgotten. >> we try to keep our minds from such negative things and try to enjoy the holiday season with people that you care about. >> i think the holiday came too fast. it's a great way to hang out

with your friends. >> reporter: these are all colorful lights accompanied with feel good music. the sights and sounds might be common for many but forkers it's an escape that serves as a therapeutic distraction from the unfortunate realities that have bruised the american spirit. however, this time of year does offer certain healing that even young ones know about it. >> merry christmas and happy new year. >> reporter: if you still haven't had time to come out to zoo lights, you still have a chance. it's open till january 1. admission is free and runs every night till 9:00. we're at the smithsonian national zoo, i'm cep cen, 9news -- i'm ken molestina, 9news. good morning. thank you for watching 9news at 5:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. liz draback is in for monika and will have traffic in a moment. mike hydeck is off. howard bernstein is back. i love your holiday tie with all the snowman. >> just trying to be festive on this christmas eve. >> that's what it's all about trying to be festive. snow in our area